Arthur Getz in Washington Square Park

A painting of the Washington Square Arch by Arthur Getz comes out of the estate of film critic Judith Crist. It was recently listed on eBay. The eBay seller identified the medium as oil or acrylic, but more likely it's watercolor or gouache and ink. The seller also hopefully raised the possibility that it could be an original New Yorker cover, but it clearly isn't. In fact, the NYU T-shirt in the foreground gives it away. This illustration appeared on the cover of the New York University Bulletin from the summer of 1979.

Arthur Getz, Original art, New York University Bulletin, Summer 1979

Arthur Getz's signature

Arthur Getz's signature

The T-shirt reads NYU Summer '79. That should be clue enough to where this was published.

Detail

Arthur Getz, Original art, New York University Bulletin, Summer 1979

EBay Listing as of September 29, 2015

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ARTHUR-GETZ-LISTED-ILLUSTRATOR-NEW-YORKER-MAGAZINE-WASHINGTON-SQUARE-PARK-NYC-/161832816954?hash=item25adfcd13a

eBay Item Description

Arthur Getz, Original art, New York University Bulletin, Summer 1979

[End of eBay listing]

Here's the published catalogue:

Arthur Getz, New York University Bulletin, Summer 1979

Scan courtesy of Sarah Getz, updated May 9, 2018

And here's a preliminary version of the artwork:

Arthur Getz, Preliminary art, New York University Bulletin, Summer 1979

Photo courtesy of Sarah Getz

Arthur Getz had also illustrated this NYU Bulletin in the previous summer. Then the view of Washington Square Park was observed from a higher vantage point. The view to the south showed the Washington Arch and lower Manhattan. Note also the Brooklyn Bridge and the World Trade Center.

Arthur Getz, New York University Bulletin, Summer 1978

Photo courtesy of Sarah Getz

December 25, 2015 Update: The seller has updated the listing to reflect the correct publication history that appears in this post. He has not gone so far as to correct the medium used or the spelling of film critic Judith Crist's name.

Note:  Much thanks once again to Sarah Getz for her photographs and knowledgable assistance. Learn more about Arthur Getz's artwork at getzart.com.

Past blog posts about Arthur Getz are just a click away.

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